Jewish History
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The Aleppo Codex
What is a “Codex?” I have read that it was of popular use after the scrolls, but I’m not sure exactly what it was. Can you please explain? Answer: The term “Codex” refers to books in their modern, bound form…
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King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba
Did King Solomon marry the Queen of Sheba and was she a black woman? Answer: Where Sheba was from is a matter of contention. Abarbanel maintains it was Yemen, while Meam Loez argues it was Ethiopia, which would support the…
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Did The Jews Trade Goods In The Desert?
If the route which we traveled through the desert was barren, then how did the livestock feed? Where did so much wood come from for the sacrifices in the Tabernacle? Was there some sort of trading going on? Answer: Thank…
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Punishment for Neglect of the Sabbatical Year
At any time in Biblical history did the Jewish people neglect the sabbatical years and have judgment laid on them for this? If so, could you cite the verses where this can be found? Answer: When Rashi (Leviticus 26:35) points…
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The Preservation of the Tribes of Judah and Benjamin
What were the merits of Benjamin, so that his tribe, in addition to Judah’s, was preserved into modern times? Answer: Thank you for your interesting question! I think it’s important to point out that all the tribes were preserved. The…
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Historical Evidence for the Purim Story and Queen Esther
Is there any historical evidence of the story of Purim and Queen Esther? Answer: In the high mountains of Iran is a city called Hamadan. Notice that if you remove a “da” from Hamadan, you get “Haman.” I don’t know…
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Census Discrepancies
In Exodus 30:11-16 there is a census taken, and the number of men over the age of 20 were counted at 603,550 (as specified ibid 38:26). Now, in Numbers 1:46 we see that another census was taken several months later,…
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Repetition of the Amida
Why is the amidah repeated? Due to the growing inability of many Jews to formulate their own prayers, and perhaps also due to the lessening primacy of the Hebrew language during the 2nd Temple era, the precise text of the…
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Number of Judges
In the weekly portion of Yitro, Moses appoints judges over 10’s, 50’s, 100’s, and 1000’s (see Exodus 18:25). With the exception of the judge over 50, each judge was in charge of a group of 10. Why was there a…